LEMONT, Ill. – Two years before his historic U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur double in 1916, the legendary Chick Evans triumphed in the inaugural CDGA Amateur Championship. His name remains engraved on the Joseph G. Davis Trophy, which will be awarded to the victor of the 99th CDGA Amateur Championship at Briarwood Country Club in Deerfield, June 18-21.

FORMAT

The CDGA Am is a grueling test of golf, as the event’s last five champions have averaged to play 123 holes over the course of four days.

The entire field will play 36 holes of stroke play the morning of Monday, June 18, with the low 16 advancing to match play. The afternoon of Tuesday, June 19 will feature the first round of matches before the quarterfinals and semifinals take place on Wednesday, June 20. A 36-hole championship match on Thursday, June 21 will determine the winner.

FIELD

A total of 75 amateur golfers will be teeing it up at Briarwood. Registration was open to any CDGA member with a USGA Handicap Index of 5.4 or below. More than 250 golfers registered for the event, with qualifiers at The Grove Country Club, Innsbrook Country Club, The Den at Fox Creek and Royal Fox Country Club determining the final field.

Players to Watch

Greg Bauman (Chicago / Biltmore CC) is the reigning Illinois State Mid-Amateur champion, winning by four strokes at Exmoor Country Club last August. He made match play at the 2018 CDGA Mid-Amateur Championship in May, falling in the first round to eventual champion John Ehrgott.

Michael Fastert (Des Plaines / Sanctuary GC) finished as the runner up in the 2017 CDGA Amateur Championship at Briar Ridge Country Club. He also has placed in the top 28 of the Illinois State Amateur each of the last two years.

Andrew Price (Lake Bluff / Conway Farms GC) won the 2016 CDGA Amateur at Calumet Country Club, besting Todd Mitchell in the championship match. He claimed the Illinois State Mid-Amateur title in 2014 and advanced to the Round of 16 in this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship.

Kyle Slattery (Rockford / The Mauh Nah Tee See Club) has reached the semifinals in each of the last two CDGA Amateurs. He is coming off a junior season at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in which he was an All-Ohio Valley Conference selection.

Chadd Slutzky (Deer Park / The Grove CC) won two CDGA championships in 2017, the CDGA Mid-Amateur and CDGA Amateur Four-Ball. Those titles supplemented his 2015 Illinois State Mid-Amateur crown.

Trent Wallace (Joliet / Inwood GC) was the stroke play medalist in last year’s CDGA Amateur and has finished in the top-five at each of the last two Illinois State Amateur Championships. The rising senior at Illinois State University has won two Missouri Valley Conference individual titles.

Others to Watch

Harley Abrams (Evanston / The Glen Club) was medalist by five strokes at the Royal Fox qualifier and advanced to U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying earlier this year.

Mike Cushing (Bloomington / Bloomington CC) made match play at last year’s CDGA Am and has won three Bloomington-Normal City Match Play titles.

Benjamin Johnson (Downers Grove / Naperville CC) bested the field by two strokes to take medalist honors at the Innsbrook Country Club qualifier on June 4.

Branden and Michael Mounce (El Paso / El Paso Golf Club), twin brothers, were both part of Bradley University’s 2018 Missouri Valley Conference-winning team. Both also qualified for the 2018 Illinois State Amateur earlier this month.

Matthew Murlick (Winnetka / Winnetka GC) made match play in the 2017 CDGA Amateur and finished T2 at the 2017 Illinois Open.

Andrew Vitt (Lake Forest / Exmoor CC) claimed medalist honors at The Grove Country Club qualifier on May 31.

BRIARWOOD COUNTRY CLUB

The 2018 CDGA Amateur will mark the first Illinois State or CDGA amateur championship hosted by Briarwood Country Club. The Deerfield facility served as a second site for last year’s Illinois Open, an event it also hosted in 1966. Initially designed by the architectural firm of Colt and Alison in 1921, the pristinely-manicured par-71 track will play at 6,853 yards for the championship.

After various modifications over the years, a tornado necessitated a restoration by Mark Mungeam in 2001 that returned the course to its Colt and Alison roots. Difficult bunker elements are present throughout the classic parkland layout. The greens are relatively large, but require precise approaches, as many of the putting surfaces contain multiple tiers and components.

The 543-yard par-5 third hole will present an early opportunity for separation in a match. A three-shot hole for all but the longest hitters, water along the left side must be dealt with for those both laying up and going for the green in two. Water also comes into play on the 382-yard par-4 14th, where an accurate approach into a reverse redan is needed to stay dry.

Chicago District Golf Association
The Chicago District Golf Association (CDGA) is the regional governing body for amateur golf in Illinois and parts of three other states. The CDGA services more than 400 clubs and 80,000 individual golfers. Golfers receive member offers, a USGA Handicap Index® and competitive playing opportunities, while clubs receive USGA rating and measuring services, turfgrass diagnostics and educational seminars. Midwest Golf House and its Three-Hole Sunshine Course are home to the CDGA Foundation, which annually serves more than 1,000 individuals with special needs and wounded veterans while also bringing playing opportunities to youth golfers. Founded on March 18, 1914, the CDGA is one of the largest and oldest golf associations in the United States.